Holiday Tipping In NYC Amid Coronavirus: Give Thanks If You Can

NEW YORK CITY — Dig deep into your wallets and pocketbooks if you can, New Yorkers.

Odds are you survived the coronavirus pandemic and troubles of a truly-awful 2020 with at least some help from someone who walked your dog, babysat your child or helped you shelter safely in your apartment.

Holiday tipping — the year-end tradition of giving cash or other thanks — is arguably more important this year than ever.

Etiquette experts have been making appearances encouraging New Yorkers to give generously this season if they can. But, as in other years, they recommend only giving as much as your budget allows — an important note for those facing increased hardships during the pandemic.

So how much and what should you give? Here’s a quick guide.

Give cash (mostly)

Generally speaking, experts like those at the Emily Post Institute recommend giving cash.

Liz Weston, a columnist with the personal finance website NerdWallet.com, recommends to give cash gifts early and in a clean, presentable manner.

"Fresh, crisp bills tucked into a card with a handwritten note? Classy. Wadded bills thrust at the service provider on your way out the door? Not so much," Weston wrote.

It should be noted that not everyone can accept cash gifts — mail carriers and government workers in particular are legally barred from accepting them.

The Emily Post Institute recommends to give mail carriers snacks, beverages or small gifts that have little intrinsic value like travel mugs or hand warmers and are clearly no more than $20 in value.

What about building staff?

Many New Yorkers would be lost without their doormen and other building workers even without the pandemic.

In a year that many New Yorkers stayed cooped up at home, experts recommend to give special attention to the people who made that possible. Recommendations as to how to give vary widely — for example, StreetEasy gives the following ranges:

• Super: $20 – $100
• Doorman: $20 – $120
• Maintenance staff: $20 – $70

By contrast, Brick Underground, a New York real estate site, gave these broad recommendations geared more toward upscale buildings:

• Super, resident manager: $75-$175 on average (broad range: $50-$500)
• Doorman and/or concierge (the latter handles more personal requests, like lining up an emergency dog-walker): $25-$150 on average (broad range: $10-$1,000)
• Porter, handyman, and maintenance staff: $20-$30 on average (broad range: $10-$75)
• Garage attendant: $25-$75 on average (broad range $15-$100)

The point is it’s hard to go wrong, whether giving a lot or a little. A little extra thanks, if possible, certainly won’t hurt.

What about people who regularly help me?

The people who regularly help you like babysitters, dog walkers and housekeepers probably went a little above and beyond this year.

Generally speaking, experts recommend that you consider tipping a week or even up to a month’s pay for those regular lifesavers.

Here’s what StreetEasy recommends:

• Housekeeper: One week’s pay
• Dog walker: One or two weeks’ pay
• Babysitter: Two day’s pay
• Nanny: One to two weeks’ pay
• Daycare staff: $60 for the headteacher and $50 for secondary teachers